when you reach the top, you have to stop
by Seito
Summary: (the next step up is the sky) 'Oh, you don't have much magic, do you? Practically a Squib. ' 'I have enough' Izuku thought back. He did! He must! He had his Hogwarts Letter, carefully framed back home. He wouldn't be here if he didn't have enough! 'Do you' the Sorting Hat asked.


Izuku frowned, peering through the bars of his crib. His favorite toy, a ratty old stuffed dog, was there on the ground. He wanted it, wanted it now. But his mother was nowhere to be found.

He frowned harder, concentrating hard. To his delight the stuffed toy floated a few centimeters off the ground. He clapped, babbling. The toy floated upward and upward, just high enough that Izuku could almost reach it. Then it fell, falling with a soft thud to the ground.

Izuku let out a wail that send Inko barreling into the bedroom. "Izuku?!" she cried out, scooping him up to comfort him. "There, there."

The stuffed dog continued to remain out of reach.

-.-.-

Inko felt like she was slowly going crazy. Her mother had warned her that raising a child, especially by herself, was a difficult process. Somehow, she didn't think this was what her mother meant.

Warily she glanced at the toy that Izuku was levitating just above his head.

"Inko!" Mitsuki called out. She strolled through the door, carrying her own son, Katsuki in her arms.

It startled Izuku enough that his toy dropped, causing him to cry. The walls turned a bright red in response to that. The crying also woke up Katsuki, who crankily glared and let out his own wail, causing the stove to catch to fire.

"Fire!" Inko scrambled for her fire extinguisher.

Mitsuki pulled out a stick, and waved it, banishing the fire and turning the walls back to their soft green color. "You too?" she said cheerfully. "Congratulation!"

"Why are you so happy?" Inko shouted back, at her wit's end. She sank into a chair, burying her head into her hands. "I don't understand," she whispered, fearing she was losing her mind. None of it made any sense.

"Oh," Mitsuki said. Her smile turned frail and bitter. "I guess Hisashi didn't you before he bolted huh?"

"Tell me what?" Inko said, suddenly tired. "There was plenty he didn't tell me."

She had known Mitsuki for six years when she had moved into the neighborhood. It was through her that Inko had met Hisashi. Inko had fallen fast, but crash and burn was adept explanation of their failed relationship. The minute she had announced she was pregnant, he had taken off without a word.

Mitsuki refusing to leave her side was the only reason why Inko had gotten through her pregnancy with Izuku.

Mitsuki winced. "I always regret that he turned out to be such an ass. I mean, you got Izuku out of it, but there are days where I wished I hadn't introduced him to you because you deserve so much better than that." She flicked her wand again, floating Izuku out of his high chair and conjured up a playpen, setting Izuku and Katsuki down in there.

"Let me explain to you about magic."

-.-.-

"Kacchan," Izuku said warily. His best friend scrambled up the small stool. At five, the top of the counter and their goal of cookies, was still out of reach.

"Just catch!" Katsuki said, pushing the jar cover the counter.

Izuku tried to. But the jar slipped out of his hands, crashing to the ground.

"Deku!" Katsuki shouted.

Izuku flinched. They were going to get so much scolding from this. The pieces started to repair, slowly moving together.

"Faster Deku!" Katsuki hissed, glancing at the door.

Izuku gulped, hoping his little accidental magic would just move faster. He closed his eyes, trying to will it to move.

The jar cracked and crumbled.

"Stupid Deku!" Katsuki cried out. "Why can't you do anything right?"

"Izuku? Katsuki?" Inko came into the kitchen.

"Izuku's fault!"

"I'm sorry!"

Mitsuki came from behind Inko. "Katsuki. I know you had a hand in this." She pulled out her wand and fixing the jar. "You just earned yourself a timeout."

"But!"

"I will double it."

"You too, Izuku," Inko said.

Izuku looked down. "Okay."

-.-.-

Mitsuki let out a soft sigh, resting her cheek in her hand.

"Something wrong?" Inko asked.

"Izuku is seven correct?" Mitsuki asked. She looked over where the boys were playing. Or roughhousing. Honestly, Katsuki blew hot and cold around Izuku, it was a wonder Izuku didn't snap back at Katsuki more often. Mitsuki contributed to Inko's influence. Inko had the patience of a rock.

"Yes," Inko said. "Why?"

"Izuku's magic is… for the lack of a better word, weak. I thought it would grow stronger as he got older. But the boys try to float their toys and Izuku's toy never gets more than a few inches and hovers instead of flying around like Katsuki's does. It's always been like that," Mitsuki said.

Inko paled, cupping her cup of tea. "Is that a bad thing?" she asked.

"Yes and no," Mitsuki said. She didn't want to alarm Inko, but after Hisashi, Mitsuki always wanted to make sure that Inko knew what she was getting into. "He has magic, that much is obvious. There are children who are born without the ability to do any magic, even though one of their parents has magic. They're called Squibs. Izuku is… hovering just above that. He can do things, but not to the full extent that should be possible."

"What does that mean?" Inko asked.

"He may or may not get his Hogwarts letter," Mitsuki said with a grimace. "Squibs can't go to Hogwarts. But Izuku's case, I'm not sure what will happen. Or it's possible they'll accept him but he might not be able to finish."

Inko winced. "That will destroy the boys."

It would. Katsuki always talked about at home what Izuku and him would do at Hogwarts. It was a shared dream between them. Izuku was always asking her questions about it too.

"We should prepare them for that," Inko said sadly.

Yeah. That was Mitsuki was afraid of. She really wasn't looking forward to crushing the boys' dream like that.

"Yes," Mitsuki murmured. "We should."

-.-.-

"Can't you do anything right?" Katsuki mocked.

They were ten and Izuku was sleeping over for the weekend. Katsuki had snuck Mitsuki's wand out of her purse while she was cooking dinner. Next year they were going to get wands and their Hogwarts letters and Katsuki was determined to get in some practice.

It didn't fit right, but Katsuki had managed to produce some sparks when he waved his mother's wand.

But when Izuku waved the wand, nothing happened.

Izuku's patience finally snapped. "SHUT UP KACCHAN!" he roared back. "I'M TRYING MY HARDEST!"

Katsuki looked surprised at Izuku's outburst, before his expression turned mulish. "It's not good enough!"

"It has to be!" Izuku shouted back. "Why do you have to be so mean about it all the time!"

"BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO COME WITH ME!"

Katsuki snapped his mouth shut. He hadn't meant to let that out. He snatched the wand out of Izuku's hand and stormed out the room.

-.-.-

"I was wondering when you were going to snap," Mitsuki said, leaning against the doorway.

"Aunt Mitsuki," Izuku said. He scrubbed his face with his sleeve. Katsuki was always pushed and pushed about Izuku practicing and using magic. While Katsuki had some mild control over his magic, no matter the age, Izuku had always struggled with it.

And when Aunt Mitsuki had explained that there was a small possibility that Izuku wouldn't get his Hogwarts letter, Izuku's heart smashed into tiny little pieces. Katsuki stepped up his sharp words and pushing. That had been their status quo for the last three years.

"I want to go to Hogwarts," Izuku said. "I really do."

"I know," Mitsuki said, pulling him into a hug. "Katsuki wants that too. He refuses to accept anything but that. Such a willful child."

"Stupid Kacchan," Izuku said with a hiccup. "He doesn't have to be so mean."

"Keep standing up to him," Mitsuki said. "He's an idiot. You have to pound that lesson into his head. Honestly, this is the one time that patience you get from Inko works against you."

Izuku nodded. Stupid Kacchan. They would go to Hogwarts together and he wouldn't need to keep pushing.

"Good. Now I'm going to go ground his butt for causing you grief," Mitsuki said.

-.-.-

Any day now. Izuku waited, eyes scanning the sky. Any day now, he would receive his Hogwarts letter. He had to. He would.

"Izuku, dear," Inko called out. "It's getting late. Why don't you come inside?"

"Five more minutes!"

Izuku stubbornly stared at the horizon, willing his owl to appear.

"Hoot!"

Izuku whirled around to see an owl coming to rest on their mailbox. Tied around it's leg was a letter. Izuku scrambled over to the house, hands shaking as untied the letter. He gave the owl a fond pet and opened the letter.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

 _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

 _Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Mr. Izuku Midoriya,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

"MUM! I GOT IN!" Izuku said, bursting into the house.

"That's great!" Inko said, sweeping him up in a hug.

"Was that a Hogwarts owl?" Katsuki chose that exact moment to come over. He was carrying his own Hogwarts letter.

"Kacchan! I got in!" Izuku said, waving his letter.

Katsuki beamed, showing one of his rare smiles. "I told you!" he said, puffing out his chest.

Izuku tackled his friend in a hug. "And I told you, we would go together."

-.-.-

"Midoriya Izuku!"

Izuku gulped, hastily darting forward. This was it. He hoped with all of his heart. Nervously, he took a seat, staring out at the sea of people, the different colors of the houses. The Sorting Hat was placed on his head and Izuku tried not to fidget.

' _Oh, you don't have much magic, do you? Practically a Squib. '_

Izuku felt his face go red, shame burning deep in his stomach.

' _I have enough!'_ he thought back. He did! He must! He had his Hogwarts Letter, carefully framed back home. He wouldn't be here if he didn't have enough!

' _Do you?'_ the Hat asked. _Perhaps enough to make it past first year, but it will only get harder. Your spells will always be weak._

' _There's more to magic than just spells!'_ Izuku thought fiercely. Aunt Mitsuki told him all about it. About how potions and herbology and astronomy didn't use spells, didn't draw on more magic beyond the barest minimum. There was no spell casting involved. Izuku would work hard at them.

' _True. But even those subjects uses some innate magic. The most complex potion will feel absolutely draining to you whereas compared to another student who will feel at most winded.'_ the Hat said.

' _But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try!'_ Izuku protested. _'I can work hard at it.'_ He was going to be a wizard. It was all he had ever wanted, all he had ever dreamed about these last eleven years. No matter what the Sorting Hat said, he was going to do it. He would pour his blood, sweat and tears into becoming a wizard, no matter how anyone said.

' _Well said,'_ the Hat said. _'You will go far, young one.'_

Izuku blinked, surprised at the Hat was no longer arguing against him. He could feel what could only be described as a smug smile from the Hat.

"You belong in HUFFLEPUFF!"

* * *

I can't believe I caved and wrote this. Please be nice to the plunny. It's very frail. (In other words, please don't ask when the next update is.)

abstract-knight250 drew fanart (you know my weakness so well): seitosokusha##.tumblr#.#com#/#post/164816413733/bnha-stuff-bnhaxhp-au-where-deku-mutters-a-fuck

Please leave a review on your way out


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